How to choose a women’s winter jacket or parka?

Before we get into selection criteria, let’s pause and check something in the dictionary (we promise we’ll be quick). While a parka is defined as a "short waterproof coat with a hood", a jacket is defined as a "short outer garment (falls to the waist or hips) with sleeves and is open at the front" in the dictionary. In short, a jacket is more of a multi-purpose garment, whereas a parka is designed to keep you both warm and dry during your outdoor activities, even in the middle of winter.

When choosing a women's parka or jacket for winter, you need to consider:

• Your level of exertion: if you're going on an intensive snowshoeing or cross-country skiing trip, for example, you'll be too hot in a parka! Instead, you’ll need a hybrid bimaterial jacket. If you're going to be hiking in the snow in the middle of winter at a moderate intensity, a parka is what you’ll need. For everyday use, opt for a warm jacket.

• What the filling in the jacket or parka is made out of: filling made from synthetic materials is suitable for both everyday use and colder temperatures, depending on the density, while natural materials are better for those who are sensitive to the cold or who go hiking in extremely cold temperatures.

• The density of the filling: expressed in g/m², the density gives an indication of the thermal retention capacity of the filling. For optimum warmth, this density should be greater on the chest than on the arms (to protect your precious organs).

• The cut, the cuffs, whether there are flaps under the zips and whether the jacket is adjustable: to keep in as much warm air as possible while leaving you free to move.

• The hood: with or without fur (an anti-blizzard property), preferably lined to keep your head warm.

• The pockets: fleece-lined to keep your extremities warm.

• Waterproof: so as not to let the snow melt, getting you wet and cold. Opt for a waterproof jacket over a water-repellent one. Also, check that the seams are sealed to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

It’s a long list, right? Fortunately, at Decathlon we've made life easier for you with comprehensive product information sheets that tell you the outside temperature at which the jacket or parka will keep you warm. But how exactly does a jacket or a parka keep you so warm? Let’s take a closer look at jackets and parkas.

Almost any type of jacket can be designed to provide good thermal insulation. However, certain cuts and materials are more effective at retaining heat.

Jacket is still an "umbrella" term that includes many types of jackets: waterproof jackets, warm and cosy jackets, with a hood that does or does not have faux fur. At Decathlon, all you need to do is read our product data sheets to find out what outdoor temperatures our jackets can withstand: the famous comfort temperature rating. Our Quechua women's winter jackets will keep you warm in outdoor temperatures of between -5°C and -10°C.

Our warmest jackets have more or less lining depending on the part of the body being covered: For example, a 150g/m² wadding lining on the body and 100g/m² on the arms, with a soft fleece material on the back, will keep you warm in temperatures as low as -10°C.

But the filling isn’t everything. Warmth is all in the details! You should also choose jackets that have an inner flap underneath the zip to stop cold air from getting in. A high collar and a hood will keep your neck warm. Finally, a drawstring at the bottom of the jacket keeps the heat in and prevents cold air from getting in.

Also, when you’re choosing a jacket, remember to pay attention to details that aren’t always obvious. 
 Look for pockets with a fleece lining to keep your hands warm, and a fleece lining inside your hood to stop your body losing heat. In fact, we lose a large part of our body heat through our extremities: head, hands and feet. A hood will protect you from both the rain and the cold!

Don't forget to check that your jacket is waterproof (and not just water-repellent) so that you can face the winter and not freeze from that little bit of rain that sometimes feels like it’s got right through to your bones.

As mentioned above, our women's parkas (and men's and kids' models too) undergo laboratory testing to make sure they guarantee you precise levels of thermal comfort and waterproofing. This is a guarantee of quality and enables you to easily compare parkas according to their performance.

At Decathlon, we have laboratories equipped with showers to reproduce rainfall of differing intensities and durations for our tests. We also use climate chambers ranging from 40°C to -40°C to test the thermal comfort of our garments.

If you've been following, you'll have understood: for low- to medium-intensity hikes in the snow, a parka is the better option. But be sure to check the waterproof rating of your parka. It should be a specialised parka with a blizzard-proof hood so you can survive winter hikes and snowball fights.

The good news is that specialised jackets or parkas can also look good.

Oh yes, sometimes life is good and style and technicality come together. This is the case with the drawstrings at the bottom of the parka or jacket, the drawstrings at the waist and the tab for adjusting your hood. These things enable you to adjust your jacket or parka to your body shape, to create a silhouette and to adjust your parka or jacket depending on what clothes you are wearing underneath. The aim? To avoid draughts and keep your body as warm as possible. The bonus? You can pull your jacket or parka in at the waist if you have an hourglass figure and prefer to accentuate your waist or you can tie it loosely at the waist if you have a rectangular body shape. We recommend that you opt for a women's specialised parka, as the cut differs from the men’s models. However, all bodies are created equal and there is so much variation and diversity that there is nothing to stop you from shopping in the men's or women's department according to your body shape or tastes.

Take your time when choosing your parka or jacket so you can get a feel for the quality and make a long-term investment. This type of coat is designed to last and should be an investment in your wardrobe, not a throw-away item.

As well as undergoing laboratory tests, at Decathlon all our products are field-tested by users who are keen hikers. This dual testing enables us to check the quality of our products in real-life situations, as well as the technical nature of our materials. We also monitor feedback from our users around the world so that we can constantly improve our products.

In short, choose a tried-and-tested jacket or parka that you'll have for a long time!